PATAGONIA SLOWLY RECOVERING AFTER DEVASTATING RAIN
W ELSH Patagonia is slowly recovering after huge swathes of it were left devastated by the worst rainfall in 40 years.
Residents of the city of Comodoro Rivadavia faced apocalyptic scenes after 80% of the city was destroyed in April.
Homes were swept away or wrecked by mud, and upturned cars littered the streets. Roads were ripped up by the water, leaving gaping cracks in the ground, and there have been reports of dysentery.
Ricardo Irianni Chubut Valley.
Of the 25,000 Welsh speakers in Argentina 5,000 are understood to live in the Chubut region.
Ricardo said: “Things in Comodoro Rivadavia are slowly getting back to normal, with the clean-up and repairs going ahead by Comodoro Municipality, with financial help from Chubut province and national government.”
The city’s infrastructure was slowly being repaired, he said.
“People who lost houses have received low-cost loans, or government subsidies, in order to fix or rebuild their houses and businesses.”
He said some people had been let off paying certain taxes.
A state of emergency was declared in the Chubut province – and eight of its 16 counties were facing agricultural disaster as a consequence of the weather. lives in the
“The state of emergency is a legal status to delay payment of taxes and to have low-cost loans – and other kinds of help – for farmers,” Ricardo said.
Rebuilding work was happening “slowly, with delays” because it is winter in Patagonia.
New Zealander Jeremy Wood also lives in the Chubut region.
“We are moving into winter now and have had some very cold weather recently,” he said.
“There are no issues at all in the main Welsh towns. Trelew, Gaiman and Puerto Madryn have all had their water restored and the water levels in the river Chubut have dropped.”
Repairs in Comodoro Rivadavia were being delayed by “short, cold and windy days”.
“Not much progress made,” Jeremy said.
“Some schools have reopened but with more than 2,000 houses and businesses destroyed, repairs could take many years.
“There are reports of cases of dysentery because, it is thought, some of the water supply had been contaminated.”
He said in April central government allocated about £52.5m.
“This is about 70% of the projected costs,” Jeremy said.
Five neighbourhoods will get is being £5m apiece for work including repair of pavements, lighting and 400 damaged houses.
Jeremy said: “Another 100 houses will have to be rebuilt, adding up to 50 modules – with an investment of £375,000, which addresses the immediate priority in neighbourhoods where water and mud devastated many of the buildings.
“Just clearing the dried mud from the inside of homes will be an enormous undertaking.”
About 100 blocks that were “totally destroyed” will be rebuilt and another 100 repaired. Minor improvements will be made in another 100.
Millions more will be invested in infrastructure projects for water, sewage and flood prevention networks.
“Although the central government will cough up 70% of the rebuilding costs the remaining 30%, about £22m, must be met by the government of Chubut.
“This was obviously not budgeted and it will mean that many services will have to be cut.
“And £5m was handed over last week to the mayor of the town to deal with the most severely affected.”
He feared little would happen soon because of a complex federal system, red tape and corruption.
“Quite a few people will become quite rich out of this disaster,” Jeremy said.